


Tangled Up In You

by delighted



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-16 01:08:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8080828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delighted/pseuds/delighted
Summary: Another “Steve shows up at Danny’s door in the middle of the night” story. Because, sometimes that’s what we need.
Also another Fantasy Series Seven story. Because the time draws near.....





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JeffreyAlan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeffreyAlan/gifts).



> The title is from Howie Day’s “Collide,” which is just one of those songs that feels like the boys to me. I thought this was going to end up as some dark, moody, really emotional “tangled” thing.... But it wound up being a lot simpler than that. I think that’s totally appropriate.
> 
> Once more, I thought this would just be a chapter of “By Your Side,” but again, it wanted to be its own thing.  
>  
> 
> This one definitely IS for JeffreyAlan. He knows why.

It was still dark out when Danny was awakened by the buzz of his phone. Groaning when he saw it was Steve, he rolled over and answered into his pillow.

“Yeah, babe,” he mumbled.

“Danny.” Steve sounded weird. Danny’s skin prickled in foreboding.

“What is it, Steven,” Danny said more clearly, synapses firing into alert.

“Danny, she’s back.”

Well, that was helpful, Steve, Danny thought. “She,” really, could be one of _three_ women to make him sound like this. He wasn’t about to chose for himself, but if he asked, Steve might get more upset than he clearly already was.

“Okay, babe, wanna come over and talk?” He was sitting up now, and grabbing for his tee shirt from the chair by his bed.

“I’m outside.” Steve replied sheepishly, and Danny laughed.

“Be right there.” Danny allowed himself a moment of being amused that Steve didn’t actually just let himself in, because he was fairly sure that was something he could do. If Steve hadn’t made himself a copy of Danny’s keys surreptitiously one day when he took the Camaro by himself while Danny was somewhere else, he’d eat his hat. Not that he wore one, but you know what he meant.

He shuffled to the door in bare feet, and when he opened it, Steve looked about as beat up and bruised as you could look without having a mark on you. His eyes were not red, so he’d not been crying, but it seemed to Danny he looked as though he’d been crying on the inside. So, Catherine, maybe? Danny sighed and ushered Steve in.

Steve stumbled just inside the door, and Danny caught him in a hug. Steve choked out a sob, and Danny’s heart just sank. His mind went first to the probability that Catherine had once more broken Steve’s heart, and really, how many times can a guy get his heart utterly smashed by one woman? He rolled his eyes at himself because he could answer that question pretty well from his own life, actually.

He pulled back from Steve to try and get a look in those hazel eyes, thinking he’d be able to tell more from that. But the look he saw was not at all what he’d been expecting. It made his heart kind of stutter, and he took another step back.

“I’ll, uh, I’ll go get us drinks. Sit there.” And he kind of shoved Steve towards the sofa, nearly bolting for the kitchen.

When he got there, he leaned up against the counter and attempted to calm himself with some deep breaths. He recognized that look. It was burned into his memory. Seared. _White hot_ seared.

Danny got out the bottle of whiskey which was only half full, cursed himself for not keeping an extra on hand, poured himself a hefty dose, and downed it in one.

He could breathe a little better now, but his heart was racing and the blood was most definitely pumping. He grabbed another glass, and bringing the bottle, he headed back to the living room. The last time, _the only time_ , Danny had seen Steve look like _that_ had been the night after the last time Doris had vanished again.

That was the night Steve had ended up in Danny’s bed.

He’d shown up on Danny’s doorstep in the middle of the night, without calling first. Danny’d given him an earful about that, which was probably why he’d called this time. He’d had a bottle of whisky in his hand, and a look so hurt and so lost on his face that Danny had been done for from the get go. He would have done anything Steve had asked that night. But he’d not been prepared for what Steve had wanted.... It had haunted him ever since. That look, those grasping, desperate touches, the sounds Steve made... it had been everything Danny had never known he’d wanted from Steve. And he’d not had the barest hope of it ever happening again.

But now here Steve was again, that same look burning in his eyes. Well, Danny was not so strong as to be able to resist that. But he sure as heck was going to get Steve to talk about it first. Danny sat in the chair adjacent to Steve’s place on the sofa, not trusting himself to sit next to him. Not like this. He poured two glasses, setting one in front of Steve, who just looked at it, then back at Danny. Danny drank his in one gulp, then sat back, looking at Steve, steeling himself to try and get him talking, before things got... well.

So, _she_ was back.    

Steve seemed to give in to what Danny had clearly signified. Drink—and _talking_ —first. He took a small sip and smiled weakly.

“She showed up while I was swimming. Sat in your chair,” he huffed a bitter laugh at that. He looked at Danny, his eyes slightly crazed. “She’s _staying at the house_.”

Danny’s heart turned over. “Oh, babe.”

“I had to leave. I just...” He swallowed, then picked his glass back up. “I didn’t know where else to go.” He took a sip. Put the glass down. “No, that’s not true.” He looked in Danny’s eyes. “There wasn’t anywhere else I wanted to be. Not anywhere else I _could_ be.” He got up, stood over Danny. “I need you.”

Danny steepled his hands in front of his lips. Let out a long, slow breath. He was warring with himself because he wasn’t sure if he could take having this again, only to have it vanish the next morning as if it had never been.

He looked up at Steve, saw the burning need, the bare _want_. Was captivated, was _caught_. Couldn’t move. 

Steve seemed to read his mind. “I won’t leave. Not this time. I promise.”

Danny tilted his head and tried to swallow around the lump in his throat.

“I won’t. It’s different this time. I need you by me. I can’t do this without you. Not this. Not this time. Not again. Not now.” Steve lowered himself down to the floor in front of Danny. “I need you, and not just because of her. Not just because...” he trailed off. “I don’t know why it crystallizes. On the one hand she messes my head up so much, I can’t believe I can even see straight. But somehow, it just crystallizes. I need you. I always have. She just makes me see.... It’s stupid to not be with who you love. I’m done fighting that. Just... done.”

Danny bit his lips together. He didn’t trust himself to speak. Didn’t trust himself to move. Realized he wasn’t breathing. He took a deep breath, found he felt lightheaded, giddy almost. He wasn’t really sure he believed this, it was too much, all at once. But then wasn’t that just like Steve. Sudden decision. Taking what he wanted. It was exactly just like the beginning. And there was something about that... it felt right. They’d been entangled since that first meeting. Pushing, pulling, crashing together, falling apart... really it had all been heading towards this anyway. But now that Steve had decided. Well. There just wasn’t anything Danny would be able to do about that. Not that he wanted to. God, not that he would ever want to.

Steve could tell Danny had given in. The barest of smirks spread across his lips. The fire in his expression intensified. He reached out and pulled Danny down towards the floor with him, grabbing at his own shirt, ripping the buttons off in his hurry to get out of his clothes. Danny hadn’t really remembered how quickly Steve could get undressed, but he was convinced it had to be part of his SEAL training. Emergency undressing procedures or something. Because really, the speed with which the man divested himself of his clothing was seriously impressive.

Danny’s clothes, somehow, stayed on, but he found himself swept into Steve’s arms and being carried, yes, _carried_ , into his room. Steve very carefully, reverently almost, took Danny’s shirt and boxers off and laid them on the chair.

He took his time, but there was such intensity with every move, it didn’t feel slow or easy or luxurious, like Danny imagined it could. There was too much _need_. Too much _done fighting_. It was completely overwhelming, and yet utterly perfect.

Danny felt like sparklers were lit behind his eyes, like the sparks were falling onto his legs.... Of course everything with Steve was explosive. The man was like a munitions factory. Danny shuddered, and fell, tangled, into a deep slumber.

He woke later, just at palest, violet dawn, and lay, watching Steve sleep. Their legs were entwined, and Danny wiggled his feet, savoring the warmth from Steve’s legs against his own cool toes. He sighed—a mixture of contented and slightly anxious. Yes, he was pleased, of course he was. They’d been dancing around this from the beginning, and since that last time, that first time, he’d wanted... well. To have it again. And always. Of course he had. It just hadn’t seemed... plausible. For about 67 different reasons.

But Steve’s words echoed in his head, and he just knew that everything had changed, and yet nothing had. He felt a wave of giddy, excited _rightness_ flood over him, and he fell back asleep smiling.

When Danny awoke next, Steve wasn’t next to him, but he could smell the coffee brewing, and he grinned. _Now, this_. This could make just about any kind of trouble well worth it. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and sat up, reaching for his clothes. His hand grabbed his shorts, but his tee shirt was missing. Deciding it didn’t really matter, he tugged his boxers on and padded towards the kitchen. He’d thought he’d be thrilled by the sight of Steve, in the morning, in his kitchen. And he’d been right. Danny was pretty sure it was the best thing he’d seen in a long time. What he hadn’t counted on was that Steve was dressed in Danny’s own tee shirt. And nothing else. It was, of course, too small for him, and Danny bit his lips together to keep himself from laughing.

Steve smirked right back. “I couldn’t find my clothes,” he offered, as if that explained everything.

“Of course not,” Danny replied, as though it were perfectly reasonable.

“I was going to bring it to you in bed,” Steve said, nodding towards the coffee pot, which was almost done brewing.

“Of course you were,” Danny replied, and turned around and headed back to the bedroom before he couldn’t keep the laughter in any longer.

Just a couple minutes more and Steve brought the mugs in, handing Danny his with a kiss.

“Take that shirt off right now, Steven,” Danny said into his coffee.

“What, I think it looks nice on me,” Steve responded, sliding back into bed next to Danny.

“Mmmmm,” Danny said, noncommittally.

“Fine, I’ll take it off, but only if you take those off.” Pointing to Danny’s shorts.

“Not while drinking hot coffee, babe,” Danny smiled sweetly.

Just then, Danny’s phone buzzed with a text. He set his coffee down and picked up his phone.

_My boy OK?_

Danny huffed out a breath. _Yeah, he’ll be fine_.

_Thank you, Danny_.

Steve looked over at him. “Sorry.”

Danny shook his head. “Don’t be. Don’t ever be. Not about this.” He waved the phone at Steve, put it back on the side table, and pulled him in for a kiss. “Not when it got me this,” he whispered into the kiss. He felt the smirk form on Steve’s lips before they both dove back in.

By the time they got back to it, the coffee was cold, and Danny didn’t object to the lack of clothing.


End file.
